"Mr. Bingley, Miss Bingley, it is such a great pleasure to finally meet you both! Mr. Darcy told us so much about you that I feel like I have known you for a long time. It was a pity that you could not attend my niece's wedding. But Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy insisted on having a private ceremony." Mrs. Bennet sighed dramatically.

"The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Bennet," Bingley replied gallantly as Caroline simply smiled politely. "We had the pleasure of meeting your niece, the lovely Mrs. Darcy, a few months ago at Pemberley. Darcy and your niece were the ones who suggested that I lease Netherfield Park."

"I was overjoyed when I heard that you had leased the property since it was inhabited for some years. As you know, Mr. Darcy used to be the vicar of Netherfield; and the community misses him so much! Hopefully the Darcys will be spending Christmas with us at Longbourn." She paused and asked, "How do you like Netherfield Park?"

"It is a beautiful and well-maintained estate. However, we only arrived recently and we have not had much time to explore the area yet."

Before Mrs. Bennet could continue speaking, Mary asked, "Mr. Bingley, for a few months I have been teaching at Netherfield's school and if you would allow me, I would like to continue with the lessons."

"Of course, Miss Bennet. It would be my great pleasure if you continued. Maybe my sister can help you." He looked at Caroline, "Would you like to help Miss Bennet, Caroline?"

Caroline smiled slightly. "I don't think I have time to do it, Charles. I will be busy with many tasks ..."

The orchestra began to play the notes of the second set, and Bingley asked Mary to dance, and two local gentlemen asked Miss Bingley and Kitty to dance.

Mrs. Bennet was pleased that Mr. Bingley was such a charming and handsome gentleman, and Miss Bingley was an elegant and pretty lady. Sadly, she noted Bingley had not shown any particular interest in either of her daughters nor had he shown any interest in any other girl at the assembly.

PPP

The trip from Pemberley to London was uneventful, and the Darcys arrived on the third day. The following day, Darcy had a meeting with Mr. Shelby, the investigator he had hired to investigate his brother's murder.

Mr. Shelby was not optimistic about the investigation's prospects and stated, "The investigation is not yet closed, Mr. Darcy. However, I warn you that it is likely that whoever killed your brother will never be known."

Darcy nodded sadly. "Still, no suspects?"

Mr. Shelby met his eyes. "Mr. Darcy, how well did you know your brother's friends?"

Darcy shook his head. "We had a good relationship, but we were not as close as some other siblings. Why are you asking me that question?"

"Because I have discovered that your brother was 'friends' with more than one young woman."

Darcy met his eyes and nodded, "Do you think the husband, father or brother of one of my brother's 'friends' may have been involved in his death?"

Mr. Shelby met his eye and replied, "Or it could be the 'friend' herself, Mr. Darcy." He sighed. "There are far more crimes of passion than you could possibly imagine."

Darcy remembered how his brother, before he passed away, had pronounced the name of a woman with some difficulty. It could be an important clue, so he said, "Just before my brother died, he said a woman's name. I could not quite make out if the name was Mary, Maria or Marianne."

Mr. Shelby nodded, "Those are common names, but it is certainly an important clue." He paused. "Do you remember anything else that might help in the investigation?"

He suddenly recalled his brother saying something about an illegitimate child; and so, he told the investigator.

Then, Darcy returned home sad and dejected. Immediately, he went to find Elizabeth, who was writing a note to Jane. He shut the door and hugged her tightly. Elizabeth was the light in his life, the only person who could take away his sadness.